Firefighters head for EMT training

Within two years, thanks to a decision to use funds that come from insurance premiums, the Hardeeville Fire Department will have all firefighters certified as Emergency Medical Technicians-Basic (EMT-B).

“Out intent is not to take over county emergency medical services,” said Fire Chief Dan Morgan. “We see ourselves as a partner in the EMS service and I think Jasper County would see us as a partner that is improving service.”

Morgan said that 65 to 70 percent of the calls the department runs are medical in nature.

“That is a significant part of the service we are providing and frankly, I would anticipate that we would make progress along that line,” he said.

All Hardeeville firefighters are currently certified to the First Responder level and cover the lag time while they request support from Beaufort or Chatham counties, depending upon which end of the county the help is needed.

“If a major accident occurs in Jasper County, as in this past weekend when there was a multi-car collision in Ridgeland with people ejected, all of the county’s ambulances are at the scene. Jasper has four ambulances covering 600-square miles and it’s not unusual for them to be elsewhere,” Morgan said.

“It is one of the things I saw when I was interviewing as interim city manager and one of the issue papers I submitted,” said City Manager Carey Smith. “I saw the responsiveness, the dedication. It’s all at a very high level. These people want to do more and if we can get the training, they want to be able to do more to serve the people of Hardeeville. That’s really what this is all about.”

Part of the department’s funding comes from the state when it returns 1 percent paid on insurance premiums by the residents. That money goes through the city to the fire department and is used for various departmental needs, training being one of those uses, Smith said. After a discussion within the department, it was decided that the money should pay for EMT-B training, which costs about $700 per person and takes 110 classroom hours.

“If you’re running the call already, why not elevate the capacity of your people to provide a higher level of service?” Smith said. “I give the firefighters and the chief credit for their leadership in using the funds for the betterment of the people of Hardeeville rather than using tax monies. In essence, the premiums are being returned to the people in an enhanced level of service.”

The department is primarily paid professionals with some volunteers and there is no current requirement for anyone to be a certified EMT-B, but that will change in the future, according to Morgan.

“We want that to be the threshold of capability for all our people to have that training,” he said. “If we can coordinate to have the classes here rather than send our people to our regional headquarters in Charleston, we’ll make it open to the public to attend — at their own cost — and help fill the class.”

Class dates will be announced in the future.

Hardeeville Fire Department includes two stations — downtown and at Cherry Point — and the initial response area covers 75 square miles.